News Test flights on new Tokyo route raise noise concerns

In case you were wondering about low-flying passenger aircraft over central Tokyo last Sunday, here's the explanation:

The test flights, aimed at checking flight control procedures and measuring the effects of noise, will be conducted on about seven days and conclude by March 11. The flights on the afternoon of Feb. 2 followed an inbound route that is expected to open on March 29. New Haneda flight routes were devised as part of the Japanese government's goal to increase the number of foreign visitors to Japan to 40 million this year.

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Where we live we have a lot of low-flying air traffic from Chōfu Airport (turboprops serving the Izu Islands) as well as military flights (both fixed-wing and helicopters) from Yokota AB and from JASDF Iruma AB but it doesn't compare to the thundering noise of passenger planes on their final landing approach.

Here is some more info on the new "trunk routes" affecting western and central Tokyo.

The flight route takes jets barely 1000 feet (300 meters) over Oimachi Station, my old stomping grounds. One old lady in Oimachi says she will now have to keep her windows always shut tight because of the noise.

Mid-80s I was at ICU, Mitaka but towards the west end of it away from that station (koganei was much closer).

There were military flights going over all the time thru the day--large cargo planes. In/out of tachikawa, I guess. It was noticeable since I'd come from Seoul, where it's a big restricted zone due to the blue house, so no jets overhead at all. Helicopters only from the Han river south, or around east up the valley.

For contrast, visit chicago. There are jets all over the sky due to both o'hare and midway.